Tuesday, May 29, 2012

As a self-proclaimed eco-theater artist, I am overjoyed at the steady greening I see in the NYC theater community. From
Off-Off companies designing with entirely recycled materials to the
Broadway Green Alliance replacing marquis bulbs with LEDs, there is
immense progress. Indeed, this very blog is proof that NYC theater is both innovative and principled.

But I wonder how much greener we could be if sustainable thought began earlier in our creative process...

I am privileged to work for The Bushwick Starr once a year, heading their annual Big Green Theater Festival. The festival begins with a 3-month teaching artist program in which 5th graders write eco-plays (that is, plays inspired by environmental topics). The
program culminates around Earth Day, when the students’ plays are given
a professional production at the Starr using only green theater
techniques.

Photo by by Sue KesslerSpoiler Alert!: Monica Santana, Danny Gardner

5th graders are incredible eco-theater artists. They
simultaneously possess wild imaginations and sophisticated processing
skills, making them innately excellent at absorbing environmental
information and then turning their new-found knowledge into wonderful
storytelling. They write ambitious adventures
without censorship, yet remain practical about how such plays might
translate into green production. Because on a
playground they are accustomed to improvising their make-believe with
whatever they have around them, their written stories are huge but their
expectations are not; they assume an audience’s imagination will do
most of the work.

Can we adults take a tip from a 5th grader, and reduce our reliance on resources without sacrificing our big ideas? Can this sort of green thinking start at the very beginning, when ideas are still germinating? As we write or devise new work, can we begin by giving ourselves rules-- not only for story, theme and character but also for production? This
might mean considering, from the very first page of a script, what
we’re asking production teams to build, what sort of space we’re
demanding our plays be performed in, and how long we expect
energy-intensive lights, heat and air conditioning to stay turned on.

When
I write adult eco-plays, I give myself limitations: I try to write for a
nearly bare stage, I omit lighting cues and major scenic changes, and
though my aesthetic is often epic, I strive to stay within an
intermission-less 90-minute run time. These
limitations don’t make me feel limited; on the contrary, by prioritizing
bodies, voices and imagination, I find I can challenge myself, my
collaborators and the medium of theater in new ways. Additionally,
I have found that these types of early-considered limitations encourage
actors to become more virtuosic, directors and designers more
innovative, and audiences more engaged.

As a director, I try to apply the same principles when I am considering how to bring a script to life. Once
the ten student plays of this year’s Big Green Theater were in my hand,
I spent countless hours with our designers (Michael Minnahan and Preesa
Bullington) developing a design that would allow all of the plays to
exist within the same world, and a concept that would result in the
whole becoming greater that the sum of its parts.

So we came up with a set of rules-- literally a set of rules: using one of the students’ plays (aptly titled Clean Up The Park) as a frame, the set became a littered park, and the action of the evening was cleaning it up. The nine (more fantastical) internal plays were stories the characters told each other as they picked up and organized garbage. The actors created gestures inspired by the act of cleaning, and then recycled and reused those gestures throughout. The plays became the reason for cleaning, and the cleaning the reason for the plays.

Of
course, the set, costumes, lights and rehearsal practices were as green
as can be, the program paperless, and the performance space
carbon-neutral. When it was finished, the action-packed evening of plays was less than an hour long. The Starr’s rooftop hydroponic garden was open, and the refreshments were local.

I wonder what would happen if every theater space and company in NYC thought green from the very start. How quickly green the status quo! How brilliant the citywide problem solving! With
greener values embedded earlier in our processes, could the rigor of
our sustainable practices rival the already enviable caliber of our
creative innovation?

----------------------------

Jeremy Pickard captains Superhero Clubhouse,
a sustainable collective of theater artists and environmental
advocates, and has produced over a dozen eco-theater productions since
2008 including the first five (of eventually nine) Planet Plays. Jeremy is the lead artist for The Bushwick Starr’s annual Big Green Theater Festival and a commissioned artist of PositiveFeedback, NYC’s first inter-institutional consortium uniting artists and scientists in climate change collaboration. You can see Superhero Clubhouse’s production of SATURN (a play about food) Aug 30-Sept 9 at The Wild Project, and the third annual Big Green Theater Festival in April 2013 at The Bushwick Starr. www.superheroclubhouse.org

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

FABnyc (Fourth Arts
Block) is the nonprofit leadership organization for the Lower East Side, headquartered in the East 4th Street
Cultural District—a historic and vibrant arts cluster in Manhattan between
Second Avenue and Bowery. As part of this leadership role, FABnyc is heading up
an interconnected effort to match existing energy, waste and water reduction
programs to arts groups, residents, and small businesses in the Cultural
District. As an arts organization, we are trying to bring more creativity to
connect our community to sustainable practices.

For
example… In 2010, FABnyc noticed that local theaters were “loading out” sets
and materials directly into dumpsters after productions ended their runs. Not
only were the materials being disposed of inefficiently and unsustainably, but
this “junk” was often of great value to other artists in need of materials. As
a creative response, FABnyc initiated “Load OUT!,” a biannual event in which
local arts and cultural groups, non-profits, and community members donate sets,
costumes, props and office equipment they no longer need to a collection site.
On the day of “Load OUT!” local artists and the general public are invited to
take away any materials they find at the site for creative use in new projects!
Hundreds of artists and residents have benefited, either through collecting the
lightly used materials, or by donating items they no longer need or want. The
program continues to grow, now including textile and e-waste collection for the
entire community.

At
the most recent Load OUT! event in March 2012, local arts groups such as La MaMa E.T.C., New York Theater Workshop, and Millennium Film Workshop
donated incredible materials to the “Load OUT!” site. With the help of our
sustainability partners, FABnyc was able to divert over 6 tons from the waste
stream, including more than 1 ton of e-waste and almost 1 ton of textiles. This
is the largest single diversion we have accomplished to date.

We
have completed energy and lighting assessments for many of the theaters on our
block, and we plan on developing a program to better inform local theaters
about the benefits of efficient waste disposal and energy use practices. We
have also worked with White
Roof Project to cover 30,000 square feet of roof
with white reflective coating to reduce the heat island effect; in June, La
MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theater building will be coated as well. Through these
efforts, we are creating a tighter-knit community that is able to collaborate
and collectively solve our environmental problems. For now, you can get
involved now by saving all your “junk” for the next Load OUT! event, and be
sure to stay tuned for more tips and tools from us that will help make our city
more sustainable!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

While we as theatre artists can make more
environmentally friendly choices when creating our productions, we can also
encourage our audiences to be more green as well.

Here are a few tips on how audience members can be more environmentally aware while at the theatre:

Consider your transportation options: Take public
transportation to the theatre. Walk or bike when possible or look into car-pooling opportunities.
Producers can help by providing information about these options on their
website and other marketing materials.

Recycle programs: If, after the performance,
you will no longer need your program, return it to the company for use at future
performances.

Recycle postcards & flyers: If you liked
the show, pass your postcard or flyer on to friends. Not only is this an
environmentally friendly way to recycle, you are helping the production as
well. Trust us they’ll appreciate it. (If
you didn’t enjoy the show, you can discretely place your postcard or flyer into
the nearest recycle bin.)

Help spread the word through green sources: Word
of Mouth, Facebook, Email, Twitter, etc.
are fantastic marketing tools that can reach hundreds and sometimes thousands of
people without using a single piece of paper. You can help your favorite Indie
Theatre company by letting your network know about their amazing work.

Visit Neighborhood Restaurants and Bars: When planning your evening out, patronize neighborhood restaurants and bars that incorporate green practices or
purchase local and seasonal snacks and drinks. Again producers can help by
providing a list of these neighborhood eateries on their website.

Donate to Materials for the Arts: If you
have unwanted items that could be useful to theatre companies and other artists,
instead of throwing them out, consider donating them to Materials for the Arts.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Greening the Great White Way began in earnest in 2008, when
a few dedicated theatre professionals saw ways in which Broadway could set the
stage for more sustainable productions, without losing any razzle-dazzle. TheBroadway Green Alliance has created a wide array of eco-initiatives, motivating
professionals and audience members alike to adopt a greener ethos.

The storied lights of Broadway are beautiful, but the
environmental impact of incandescent bulbs was anything but. The BGA
accomplished the Herculean feat of bringing theatre owners to the same page and
making all marquee lights energy-efficient LED bulbs – all 100,000+ of them,
saving over 700 tons of carbon a year. The shows are still hot, the planet a
bit less so.

When it was observed that the binders used for scripts and
light cues were thrown out after every show, the BGA created the Binder
Initiative, offering a place where binders could be donated after use and
recycled into another show. The initiative is an incredible success, saving
mountains of binders from landfill. The BGA is working to bring Off-Broadway
and other local theatres, for whom costs are an even bigger concern, into the
program. Soon, there will be binders
that have been in more shows than some of the busiest actors in town.

Those busy actors often wear body mics, and the need for
fully-charged batteries is mandatory. The BGA has convinced most of the
productions to opt for rechargeable batteries, thus keeping thousands of tons
of toxic waste out of the system and saving money for more important
investments.

One of the BGA’s greatest successes has been in tapping
individuals’ green passions, whether they are ardent environmentalists or just
want to lessen waste. Many shows now have a “Green Captain” – one person,
whether in cast or crew – who acts as advisor, point person, and liaison,
helping to green the shows and the people who make them happen.

At that great green musical Wicked, the Green Captain is
actress Nova Bergeron. On the road, Nova discovered many theatres had no
recycling facilities, so she gathered cans & bottles and recycled them
herself. Since she joined the Broadway company, just a few of her
accomplishments include: switching everyone to recycled-paper tissues, swapping
paper for fabric towels, gathering #5 plastics to recycle at Whole Foods, and
collecting corks and makeup containers to recycle at TerraCycle (with her help,
the BGA has kept over 18,000 corks out of landfills!). ‘Wicked’ also green-lit
welcome tote bags with stainless steel water bottles for all new company
members, which Nova presents. She is currently creating a labeling and storage
system for reusable flatware so that the company can stop buying – and throwing
out – plastic utensils.

Over at the new play Peter and the Starcatcher, currently
up for 9 Tony Awards, co-star Adam Chanler-Berat assumes Green Captain duties.
Busy as he is, he felt this was too important a responsibility to pass up and
hopes to inspire others as well. Already, he’s got many cast and crew members
to use reusable water bottles and they fill from the tap, as opposed to plastic
jugs. Next, he plans to install recycling bins in every dressing room, put up
signs reminding everyone to turn off lights, and join Nova in the cork
collection.

It’s easy to be environmentally inspired at Peter, because
innovative set designer Donyale Werle made much of the set from reused
materials or items she found dumpster-diving. The Tony-nominated set is one of
the most exciting in town, proving that you don’t need to make an impact on the
earth when you are making one on stage.

The BGA is constantly developing new projects and greater
outreach. Everyone is welcome to join and help Broadway scale higher, greener
heights.

----------------------------

Sarah-Jane Stratford is a New York-based writer, activist, and
green advocate. She is the author of two novels and her work has
appeared in Guernica, The Guardian, and Women and Hollywood, as well as
being performed with Liar's League, New York. She is currently working
on novel about World War I espionage and a play about censorship and
sedition.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Representatives from Third Rail Projects pose with their treasures during one trip to the warehouse.

When the Innovative Theatre Foundation askedMaterials for the Artsto
write a guest blog on how companies can green their production, I was
delighted because there is one easy, fun, and actually self-serving way
that companies can do this: use MFTA services! Founded in 1978, MFTA is a
program of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs that collects
unneeded but useful supplies from businesses and individuals and
distributes them free of charge to its recipients. These recipients are
public schools, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations that
provide significant arts programming for the five boroughs. This means
that if your theater company is a registered nonprofit, or sponsored by a
nonprofit, it is eligible to become an MFTA recipient. That's right:
your production company just needs to apply to have access to the wonderful, free supplies at MFTA.

There
are two primary methods through which MFTA distributes its supplies.
The first is through our 25,000-square-foot warehouse in Long Island
City. Recipients set up appointments online and visit our space to find
the many wonders it holds. Our trucks go out every day to collect
lightly used items from around the City, so the stock is always
changing. We have had unique items such as police hats, five-foot-high
Styrofoam seahorses, and a mechanical bull, as well as conventional
items such as theater lights, curtains, rolls of fabric, mannequins, and
chairs.

If
you are unable to come to the warehouse, or if you are looking for
larger items that we cannot hold in the warehouse, we offer an online
donations system where recipients coordinate directly with donors around
the five boroughs. Here you can find theater flats, pianos, large set
pieces, and more. Through our services, we have supplies to stock your
office as well your prop room.

After
you are done with these items, the best option is to save them for a
future production. MFTA is all about reuse, so the more use you get out
of an item, the better. If there is no way you can store the six rolls
of fabric, five couches, and thirty mannequins you took from us for a
production, you can always donate them back so another organization can
use these items.

If
your organization is interested in donating to MFTA, you can list items
on the online directory, mail items, drop them off, or request a free
pickup. Greening a production does not happen just when gathering the
needed supplies, but also when trying to find a home for the now
unneeded items. If you are interested in making a donation, you can find
more informationhere.

Whether a recipient or donor, you can find inspiration for reuse at our on-site exhibition space, as well as onour blog. Recipient theater companies likeImmigrants' Theater Projecthave shared their past projects using MFTA supplies, as have theaters in New York City's public schools, such as at theHigh School of Art and Designwith their production of Dracula.
The work and dedication of MFTA recipients and donors alike is
remarkable. I have never met people more committed to reuse in the arts
than the folks surrounding MFTA. And we're always looking to expand our
community.

----------

Kevin Stirnweisis
the Communications Specialist at Materials for the Arts. When he is not
blogging about the wonders of MFTA, he can be found on the MFTATwitterandFacebook. Come say hello.

Monday, May 7, 2012

For me, environmental
awareness cracked open and rushed into my consciousness on September
11th, 2001. As I watched the towers burn and fall from my Greenpoint
apartment windows, the whole messy, complicated world was held in stark
contrast to the simple interactions I had been reading about between Jane
Goodall and the chimpanzees she was trying to get to know in her book, In
the Shadow of Man. As many of us did, I felt helpless and yet, I had
a deep desire to help Everyone. The best way I could think of to act was
to draft a manifesto to the entire company of Blue Man Group (where I have been
working since April of 1996) and try to create a grass-roots effort to green
the company from within.

Since that time, we have
made some tremendous strides in the right direction. And while there is still more work to be done
throughout the Blue Man enterprise, I can tell you that I am very proud of the
awareness we’ve raised and the projects we’ve done.

In terms of greening your
production or company, gather together a team of the most environmentally
motivated people you have and create a democratic, collaborative system for
feedback and experimentation with every new program you institute. You want to ensure that things are as easy to
follow through with as possible - otherwise your program might be ignored and
only stand as a reminder of failure rather than creating an atmosphere of care,
pride, and conservation.

Try to focus on the triple
bottom line. What's the "triple bottom line", you ask?
Simply put, it's your community, your environment, and your finances.
There is no doubt that every theatre organization can find and develop
projects that will strengthen your community, save you money, and help reduce
your negative impact on the environment.
Take our composting program, for example. Members of the
community worked together to set up the system for dealing with the collection
bins every day. We stopped sending an
enormous amount of compostable waste into the landfill. And we were able to reduce the amount of money
we paid for garbage pick-up by more than it costs us to pay for compost
pick-up. Community.
Environment. Finance.

But not every theatre will
generate as much compost as we do. So
here are some additional ideas for you to consider:

Energy savings:

Is your theatre
using the most energy efficient fixtures and lamps available? Can you consider adding motion-sensor
switches to lights in hallways and offices?
Can you use LED fixtures as part of your lighting package?

Are you
balancing efficiency with comfort when setting your thermostats? There’s no reason to freeze your patrons in
the summer; cool is cool enough.

Reduce, Re-use,
Recycle:

In addition to the usual
paper, cardboard, metal, cartons and plastic bottles that get recycled through
the city, we also recycle the following stuff:

If you've got rechargeable batteries that don't
charge anymore, Radio Shack and Best Buy collect and recycle those for free!

Have you got
some burnt-out fluorescent tubes?
Find a recycling company here: http://www.lamprecycle.org. If you’ve got burnt out compact fluorescent bulbs,
The Green Depot on Bowery near Prince St collects those for recycling.

What about your
old costumes? If they aren't good enough to give to charity, you can
recycle them too! There’s a textile
recycling collection tent at the farmer’s market in Union Square (among
other places), and they also do pick-ups!
Here’s where you go for more information: http://www.grownyc.org/clothing

If you’ve got
some old electronic equipment
(computers, cassette players, boxy TV’s, etc) that is just taking up space, you
can recycle it! Check out the wonderful
folks at http://www.lesecologycenter.org. They hold regular e-waste collection events
around the city.

If you've got CD's, VHS tapes, DVD's, or computer
diskettes that aren't good for donating to charity, you can have them
erased and recycled through Green Disk (http://www.greendisk.com). I've done it
myself. It's easy, it doesn’t break the bank, and it makes you more
attractive.

And, one of the
biggest impacts a small theatre can have is by re-using materials to make your
scenery, and then donating it to charity (or using it AGAIN) after your show
closes.

And how about some
advanced eco-friendly moves? Install
some bike racks and encourage everyone to cycle commute. Get rid of plastic
water bottles – install filters on your tap (if you must) and encourage
everyone to bring re-usable bottles. In
your green room, replace paper plates and plastic utensils with real plates and
metal flatware (you can even get used ones from a charity shop or community
donations). Make sure your theatre has
water-saving fixtures. Use hand-towels
rather than paper towels where appropriate.

Want super-duper advanced
stuff? Use bio-diesel if you have any
trucking to do. Sell eco-friendly
merchandise and organic, locally produced concessions for your show. Purchase carbon offsets for the energy you
use. Check out companies like Con Ed
Solutions (http://www.conedsolutions.com/Home.aspx) or
Green Mountain Energy (http://www.greenmountain.com) for sustainably
generated electricity.

And, perhaps most
importantly, tell your audiences what you’re doing to save the world. After all, they’re the biggest part of our
community. And, who knows? Maybe they’ll
be inspired to help Everyone too.

----------------------------

Lory Henninghas recently begun her 16th
year working with Blue Man Group, and after having held many jobs
within the company over the years, she has currently got her favorite:
Production Stage Manager at the Astor Place Theatre. Lory is also a director, producer, and a crazy uber-nerd for all things related to woodworking and the environment and is a contributor to the Green Theatre Iniative.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Contributed by Joanne Haas is the Associate Director at the TDF Costume Collection

According to Grownyc.org, “The average New Yorker tosses
46 pounds of clothing and textiles in the trash each year, totaling 6% of our
entire residential waste stream.” Imagine
how much waste we create as costume designers?
Our art only lives for a very finite period of time; A show opens, and
then all too soon after comes strike.
What happens to the clothing after the show closes?

The U.S. EPA
estimates that textile waste is 5% of all landfill space. Did you know that synthetic fibers do not
decompose? Natural fiber garments
decompose but create methane, which contributes to global warming.

What to do? Try to reduce, recycle, and reuse as much as
possible. How do we do this?

Rent and
donate costumes from the TDF Costume Collection. If you don’t know, the TDF Costume Collection
is service organization of the Theatre Development Fund. The Collection is a self-service warehouse in
Astoria, Queens of approximately 75,000 pieces that have all been donated from
places such as Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, The Metropolitan Opera,
Papermill Playhouse, Universities/Colleges, and individuals. These costumes are available for rental
priced at a sliding scale for non-profit organizations (rates start at $45.00
for non-profit organizations). By using
rented costumes, you are saving on raw resources such as fabric and
electricity. With a creative eye, you
can put together and transform the pieces available to create the looks needed
for your show.

Buy and/or donate to thrift stores like Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army, Planet Aid and Housing Works just to name a few. Not only are you saving landfill space, money, but you are also helping these organizations with fundraising for their programs.

Grownyc.org
sponsors textile recycling at several greenmarkets throughout the NYC
area. For a complete listing, visit
their website.

While
the Materials for the Arts will not accept clothing, they do accept large
pieces of raw materials such as fabric.
So, instead of throwing out your extra bolts we all have lying around,
donate them so they can be used by other arts organizations.

Every small effort helps! Some of
the resources above will not only help our planet, but will help you by saving
time and money, something every small innovative theatre artist can believe
in.

----------------------------

Joanne Haas is the Associate Director at the TDF Costume
Collection, a service organization of the Theatre Development Fund. Before joining the TDF staff, Joanne was a
freelance costume designer for theatre and film. A member of USA Local 829, Joanne has served
as costume designer for over 200 productions, working
both in New York City and throughout the Northeast. www.joannehaas.com

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Environmental concerns hit every aspect of our society. President
Obama includes the environment among his top 5 issues; focusing on conservation
and the development of clean energy.
Earlier this week Governor Cuomo released a statement saying that he is
committed to reducing energy consumption in New York State
by 20% over the next 4 years. His initiatives include energy efficient upgrades, solar energydevelopment,
and the use and development of other emerging energy technologies. Even some
funders have started to require that grantees engage in green practices.

Now, OOBers are no stranger to the mantra “Reduce, Recycle
and Reuse.” We’ve been practicing conservation since the indie theatre movement
was founded more than 50 years ago. However there are lots of new resources and initiatives that make it even easier for our community to more effectively
employ environmentally friendly practices.

We are very excited to have some amazing guest bloggers this
month. They represent theatrical organizations that have implemented green
practices into their productions and organizations that provide resources and
are aiding our community in its green efforts. They will share their experiences
with executing their initiatives and some of the resources that are available
to our community right now.

Guest bloggers this month include:

Joanne Haas from the TDF Costume Collective

Lory Henning from the Blue Man Group, Green Program

Kevin Stirnweis from Materials for the Arts

Jeremy Karafin from The Wild Project

Special Guest Blogger from The Broadway Green Alliance

And others...

Have you implemented green practices into your production?
What was your experience? What are your favorite resources?

About the IT Foundation

The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation was created to bring recognition to the great work being done in New York City's Off-Off-Broadway, to honor its artistic heritage, and to provide a meeting ground for this extensive community. The organization advocates for Off-Off-Broadway and recognizes the unique and essential role it plays in contributing to American and global culture. We believe that publicly recognizing excellence in Off-Off-Broadway will expand audience awareness and appreciation of the full New York theatre experience.